Can explanations in children's books help teachers foster reason‐based understandings in religious education in primary schools?

Abstract

There are concerns about the quality of religious education teaching in England and a national framework for religious education has been developed to give the subject a firmer basis. This basis comprises knowledge, skills and understanding that involves thinking about and with reasons. Teachers of young children cannot be experts in all subjects. Novices and those with weak subject knowledge must often teach religious education. Such teachers tend to avoid reason‐based understanding as they are unsure of it themselves. Textbooks on religious education are common in the primary classroom. The question is: could they help novices and non‐specialist teachers in religious education foster this kind of understanding in their teaching? If so, here is a potentially simple and inexpensive contribution to the solution of a widespread problem. This study examined children's textbooks in religious education and found that the answer is not simple. Some books give themselves entirely to the transmission of facts. Others may foster various kinds of understanding but these understandings may not be of the desired kind. Some implications for the development of religious education teaching skills are discussed.